Title One For the Master
Author: vanillavinegar
Prompt: 014 – Green.
Rating: PG for this particular prompt (for mention of death/murder)
Author's Notes/Disclaimer: Count Cain and all associated characters, settings, etc., belongs to Yuki Kaori-sensei, as does the plot of Black Sheep itself. Ally is the maid who appears in that chapter. The only profit I make from this work of fiction is my own satisfaction and, possibly, the enjoyment of others. This is my first story for the LJ fic-community Fanfic100 (my claim is 'General Series') and I'm really looking forward to doing the rest of the prompts!

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From early childhood, something Cain could never stand was having his possessions taken away.

He blamed this, as he did so many other quirks of his personality, on Alexis; as with many other quirks of his personality, he had good reason. His father had taken pleasure in waiting until Cain's fondness for something – a toy, perhaps, or a pet – had reached its greatest extent, then cruelly snatching it away (often by destroying or killing it).

This system stayed firmly in place for years, until Riff came along. Until Cain killed his father in self-defense. Until Riff promised that he would stay by Cain's side always.

Cain therefore came to regard Riff, naturally, as his own; but, unlike the toys and pets of childhood, Riff would not leave. Riff was better than these objects in many other ways, as well; for one, he was his own person, with his own personality and thoughts and ideas – Cain could interact with him on a different level than with an inanimate plaything or a non-sentient being. Although he had never had one before, Cain found in Riff a friend, and he valued Riff greatly.

When he first noticed Siobhan's attraction to his newly appointed butler, then, Cain became worried. He watched Stein escort her down the hall as Riff went in the opposite direction, and he noted how her eyes followed Riff's retreating form. His own eyes narrowed. What did she mean by it?

Soon, the gossip spread through the staff and even to his anxious ears. Cain was good at being small and unnoticed when he was curious about a matter, and even better at asking the right questions to make someone unwittingly give him the answers for which he was searching. It was as he had feared: Siobhan was chasing Riff. Only, Riff had not responded to her. Being a gentleman, he could not rebuff her rudely; however, nor was he encouraging her. Cain ignored the idiotic notion that Riff did not return her affections because of her background – Riff spoke French, after all, so the language barrier was not an issue. And yet, because she was French – and because she was trying to take Riff away – Cain came to regard her as an enemy.

His dread ripened into irritation; his irritation, naturally, blossomed into anger; so when Riff was helping him dress the next morning and a pair of gossiping maids happened to walk by Cain's room, giggling loudly enough for both of them to hear, he could not restrain his temper. He accused Riff (who did not deserve it, really) of wanting to leave his menial position as a mere servant to elope with this woman who was clearly attracted to him. Then he snapped that it wouldn't matter to him if Riff did leave – he could return to the way he had always lived before Riff. Riff glanced up at him, hurt shining in his eyes and a question plain on his lips, but Cain ignored both and sprinted from the room, anger and fresh guilt burning in his breast. He heard Riff call after him and ignored that, too. Instead, he spent the day wandering the grounds, climbing trees too high for Riff to follow when he saw his butler looking for him, and thinking over what he could do.

There were two solutions, as he saw it: disregard the problem of Siobhan and hope Riff would remain aloof as ever or – the more appealing yet more difficult option – get rid of Siobhan.

The next day, he had still not yet decided when he saw Siobhan trailing after Riff in the gardens. He thought Riff might be looking for him again; Cain had dressed himself and left his room before the time Riff generally woke him, even now wanting to avoid the wounded queries Riff would be certain to ask him. Riff made a valiant effort to ignore her, but when she did not relent he finally turned and demanded to know why she was following him and not at work. For answer, she kissed him.

Cain's eyes narrowed.

He made his decision.

He saw the surprise and embarrassment on Riff's face when Cain suddenly appeared out of seemingly nowhere to appoint him keeper of the Hargreaves' treasure vault. He saw, too, the avarice that flared briefly in Siobhan's eyes as she watched them walk away. Inwardly, he smirked – the hook had been baited; now all that was left was to cast the line and wait for bites.

After showing Riff the chamber and giving him all of the necessary information, Cain instructed him to go about his usual duties. Riff's face told him clearly that, in his mind, their conversation was not finished, but Cain answered by utilizing his most powerful weapon: his eyes.

Though his odd, golden-green eyes were his least favorite aspects of his physical appearance (and that included the scars which even now, months after his last beating, lingered on his back), Cain had to admit (if only to himself) that they had their uses. After a minute's endurance with Cain's flat-eyed stare, Riff looked away and left for the main house, though the line of his back showed his obvious displeasure. Cain was impressed; Riff was able to withstand his gaze longer than anyone he had ever met, and soon Cain was certain it would not faze him at all. For the moment, however, he had his own preparations to make.

'Know thy enemy' was the rule he now planned to follow.

His first and best source of information was, of course, the staff. Besides knowing the most about the household, the maids in particular were a gossipy lot, and he knew exactly how to wring anything of value from them without any suspicions being roused. He began to casually speak to Ally, one of the newer and younger maids, and thus also one of his favorites. She had never known his father nor how Cain was treated under Alexis' thumb and, as such, regarded him as the poor little orphaned lad who had been made an earl so young. He used his youthful face to his full advantage, encouraging her to confide in him and tell him more about his employees.

She freely told him several important points: Siobhan was French (which he had already known); she spoke French and very little English, but could understand spoken English fairly well (he had guessed as much); she was illiterate, coming from a poor family who farmed outside of Paris (he had not been aware of this); and, most helpful of all, she and Stein had been seen to converse for long periods of time (in French, naturally).

Cain's smile upon leaving Ally was like that of the cat that had had both the cream and the canary.

By the night Siobhan died, Cain had had time to reflect on what he had learned, and had come to a conclusion: as content as he would be to place the full blame on Siobhan, she was not clever enough to come up with such a plan. He had suspicions as to who her accomplice had been, and Stein's actions that night in the treasure chamber confirmed them. As he had speculated, Stein and Siobhan had made a plot to disgrace the new young butler, who had taken the position Stein had assumed he would earn. When Riff was dismissed for unbecoming conduct (as well, doubtless, as Siobhan, though she couldn't have guessed that), Stein would gain the title he felt was rightfully his. Siobhan, however, had compromised their plan and got herself killed; Stein had to think on his feet, and in doing so he had made a costly mistake.

Cain accused him of what he knew Stein had and had not done; Stein was too overcome with fury over being outwitted that he hadn't time to protest before being hauled to Scotland Yard under murder charges. Slowly, the underground room emptied, until only he and Riff remained. He could feel Riff's stare on him, his valet still taken aback by being accused and exonerated in almost the same moment.

Cain suppressed a shiver, newly aware of the chill in the dungeon-like room now that the excitement had ended. He considered telling Riff the truth about Siobhan's death but decided against it, unsure how the older man would take the information at this delicate point in their relationship. Instead, he made a flippant declaration about how Riff must be disappointed not to be able to leave the manor now that the woman who had loved him was dead. He watched Riff move toward him out of the corner of his eye and barely held in a shocked movement as he felt Riff's warm robe being wrapped around his shoulders. He was startled again as he heard Riff's reply: that he belonged nowhere other than by Cain's side. He felt warmth, not only from the robe, fill him at these words. Riff had not been taken away. He was not going to leave. He had promised to stay with him, and he had passed the first test of his loyalty with honors.

Cain could not voice any of this to his butler. Instead, he turned and swept from the room, trusting Riff to close the hidden entrance, which he did, and then he followed patiently at Cain's heels to his bedroom. Cain allowed Riff to stoke the fire and make certain warming pads were placed beneath his mattress, knowing that the chill in the treasure chamber had still not completely deserted his body. He crept into bed and was asleep swiftly, the trials and toils of the past few days catching up to him.

Riff stared at his sleeping master, gratitude and astonishment still apparent in his gaze. "Thank you, sir," he whispered again into the night, before leaving for his own rest, careful to close the door silently behind him.

END (of this chapter; more to come!)